EASTER

As we gather this morning to celebrate Easter, I wish you all a very Happy Easter. Friends, Easter is not just another event. It is the center of our Faith. Paul says: And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile. If we look at the preaching of the first disciples of Jesus, they were all focused on the resurrection of Jesus. The preaching about Jesus’ teachings came much later.

What does Easter stand for? We may be able to look at the message of the Easter from different angles. However, the primary meaning of the Easter is hope. It is an invitation to ‘look beyond’ our expectation…Hope against hope. The paradise is not lost forever.

There is a great story. A father and his teenage son were living in Mexico City. They had had an argument, and the son, Rafael shouted curses at his father and then stormed out of the house and did not return. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. The father searched the city over and finally in desperation he went down to the newspaper and took out an add. It said, "Rafael, if you read this, I want you to know that all is forgiven. I love you and I will be waiting for you at this Sunday at the entrance to the city park. I hope you show up, love dad."

He said that Sunday morning 200 Rafaels showed up at the park, all looking for forgiveness.

There are so many people searching in this world, searching for forgiveness, for hope, for meaning.

The great message of Easter is that if Jesus Christ was powerful enough to move the stone and overcome the grave, then he is powerful enough to move the stones that are blocking my life.

Our tendency is to stay in the grave of our frustrations and disillusionment. Like in the story of Martha and Mary, our tendency is to think that even God is helpless. Remember what Mary said to Jesus: “Lord it is already four days? There will be a stench”. After crucifying Jesus, they left thinking that Jesus would never come back…They were proved wrong.

For God, nothing is too late, nothing is impossible. If he could roll away his stone, he could remove ours too. Therefore, Easter is a feast of Hope.

Secondly, Easter is all about the faithfulness of God. If we take God seriously, then God will take us seriously. Jesus abandoned his life in the hands of God. God did not abandon him. He raised him up and bestowed him the name that is above every name.

Easter also invites us to focus on what is lasting and eternal. Everything that is worldly, tangible and material will pass away. We do not have an eternal home here. We are travelers.